This application is for continuation of the Bridges to the doctorate in Exercise Science. Two interuniversity agreements were previously formalized: one created a pipeline of baccalaureate students from Howard University (HU) to the University of Rhode Island (URI). The second created an academic Bridge from URI to the doctoral program at UCONN. These interinstitutional agreements have allowed for steady progress to be made toward the goal of mentoring minority students to pursue the Ph.D. The retention rate is 100% for the 7 students sponsored by this Bridge. Presently our matriculation rate is 67% (two out of three students completing MS course work are studying for the PhD at our BRIDGE institution). The remaining students are completing their MS degree. This past year an additional, alternative Bridge was formalized with the University of Massachusetts (UMASS) and the program now has two doctoral Bridges. The six faculty scientists (3 URI, 2 UCONN, 1 UMASS) will continue to give these students an intensive, one-on-one apprenticeship in laboratory procedures and techniques. These procedures are germane to many areas of basic physiology. They include: spectrophotometric analysis, tissue preparation, electron microscopy procedures, other biochemical, histological techniques, and procedures necessary to study thermal balance and environmental stress. The laboratory skills acquired during this training provide the student with experiences that allow them to compete with others in the broader discipline of Physiology. All three Exercise Science Programs have made strong administrative commitments to this project.